COKE WHITWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY

Projects: Honeybees: Runaways

"You just hate to see your employees run away like this," says Jeff Lee, owner of Lee's Bees, the second largest commercial honeybee operation in North Carolina.Lee rents out his honeybees each spring to pollinate crops of almonds, blueberries, cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupes.A few months ago, Lee noticed a troubling trend. Whole hives were disappearing -- apparent victims of a mysterious disorder killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country.
Runaways

"You just hate to see your employees run away like this," says Jeff Lee, owner of Lee's Bees, the second largest commercial honeybee operation in North Carolina.
Lee rents out his honeybees each spring to pollinate crops of almonds, blueberries, cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupes.
A few months ago, Lee noticed a troubling trend. Whole hives were disappearing -- apparent victims of a mysterious disorder killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across the country.